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"Survey return from David Campbell"
Tarbat, Rosshire.
1850.
RCP/COL/4/8/86
David Campbell was a church minister to Tarbat parish.
Tarbat was a parish in the historic County of Ross and Cromarty and comprised the villages of Portmahomach, Balnabruach and Rockfield. In 1831, the population was 1809. Many of the inhabitants worked in agriculture, as well as trade, manufacture, or handicraft. There were also tree plantations and fisheries in the parish.
[[Addressee]]
The Revd
David Campbell
Tarbat
Rosshire
[[Survey]]
QUERIES
1. How many Medical Men practice within the Parish of Tarbat by Tain?
None – and no medical Practitioner nearer than Tain a distance of from ten to fifteen miles
2. The Names and Addresses of these.
[no text]
3. Has the number increased or diminished of late years?
[no text]
4. Have any left the Parish since you became connected with it? If so, for what reasons?
I am connected with the Parish for the last twelve years and no medical man resided in the district[words illegible]1 all that time nor for any part of it
5. Is there any complaint among the people of inadequacy in the supply of Medical aid?
Yes
6. Do you know of any cases of protracted suffering, or of injury by Accident, such as might have been alleviated had proper advice been at hand?
Such cases are of frequent occurrence
7. To what extent is the deficiency of qualified Practitioners made up by the efforts of other parties?
There are two midwives in the Parish who besides attending to their own particular profession give aid in other cases such as by bleeding2 and administering medicine
8. Does your experience enable you to suggest any measure – of general applicability – such as would be likely to relieve to some extent the evils (if they exist) of deficiency in the supply of Medical aid?
A chest of medicines with some directions when and how to use them would be a very great benefit. But the permanent residence of an efficient Practitioner, when cases of accidents and malignant fevers (which are very prevalent in the fishing villages) occur, would be most desirable.
9. What Heritors3 are resident, either generally or occasionally, in your Parish?
Mr Murray of Gearies is the only Heritor that resides in the Parish and he but occasionally
Explanatory notes
1. Words crossed out and completely illegible.
2. Bleeding, or bloodletting, is the withdrawal of blood from a patient to prevent or cure illness and disease. This was a common medical practice in the 1800s, dating back to antiquity, and was often carried out by unlicensed healers as well as qualified physicians.
3. A heritor was a landowner, under Scots Law, whose holdings were sizeable enough for them to be liable for the payment of public burdens such as Poor Law rates, road and bridge assessments and the church minister’s stipend.
Remote & Rural Remedies
